Parkinson’s disease may be linked to a cholesterol by-product that helps harmful protein clumps spread in the brain, a breakthrough study has revealed. Researchers discovered that having excess levels of the metabolite speeds up neuron damage and motor decline.

Researchers led by Zhentao Zhang at Wuhan University, China have discovered a cholesterol metabolite that plays a critical role in the development of Parkinson's disease in mice. Published in the journal PLOS Biology,

Preventing cholesterol from being converted to 24-OHC might be an effective treatment for Parkinson's, according to the findings published in the journal PLOS Biology. Study leader Professor Zhentao Zhang, of Wuhan University, says blocking its activity or preventing it from being made by the body could be an effective way of treating Parkinson's.

A breakthrough study has uncovered a hidden player in Parkinson’s disease—24-OHC, a cholesterol metabolite that fuels the spread of harmful protein clumps in the brain. Researchers found that high levels of this metabolite accelerate neuron damage and motor dysfunction,